Atmosphere

Head into Pizzafari, and if it’s your first time here, you’re in for a surprise. In a word, the artwork you’re about to see is gorgeous. But there are some distinctly strange elements to the themeing, too!

Honestly, I’m not wowed by the menu at Pizzafari, but I am a fan of the work Imagineers did to the inside of this place.

Sign

After passing through an archway decorated with stylized bugs (!!!!!), you’ll soon see that these aren’t the only specimens of wild life you’ll be observing.

Entrance

Because within Pizzafari, you find extravagant, lush murals. In other places, there are 3D elements to the decor. More about those in a minute.

The unique thing about the individual dining rooms, however, is that they each contain a unifying theme. And sometimes, it takes a moment to understand just what it is… .

Here, for instance, you see animals that use camouflage.

Leopard Mural

More Camouflaged Animals

Since this dude sits at the top of the food chain though, I don’t think he’s too troubled with trying to blend in.

Tiger -- Oh My!

Here’s a really fun one to piece together — all of these animals carry their homes on their backs! I’ll admit, it took me a while to figure out what a crab and an armadillo had in common.

Animals That Carry Their Homes

And here’s a great example of the “mixed media” approach to the art displays, as you spy giant, 3D snails following trails on the walls.

Snails and Sea Creatures

This painting shows a couple of different birds and some awesome color use.

Bird Mural

A long shot of the seating in the main dining rooms shows you how the murals fit together. Open rafters make for another fun design touch…

Seating Inside the Main Dining Room

Because, of course, you’ll find bats hanging from the ceiling!

Bats in the Rafters

The nocturnal animals are joined by another night lover. Ironically, opossums adorn the light fixtures. (Those opossums look MUCH cuter than the ones that were hanging out in my Staten Island apartment building courtyard back in the day.)

Opossums and Lighting Detail

The full effect of the lifelike sculptures can be seen with this wall of snakes and other creeping species. Though slightly unsettling for me as I’m about to dig into my food, I’m betting lots of kids really dig this.

Snakes and Other Creepy Crawlies

Seating throughout the restaurant is brightly colored, and may hide extra decor. These ones are also adorned with bugs!

Murals by a Table

Table and Polar Bear Mural

If you prefer it, there is also outdoor seating, shaded by large, colorful umbrellas.

Outside Seating

Perhaps my favorite spot to sit outdoors, however, is this terrace that wraps around the outside of the restaurant. It’s covered for protection from the sun and offers some pretty, non-theme-park-esque views.

Beautiful Terrace Seating

But I have saved what is probably my most favorite mural for last, and that’s the one of this incredible — and huge — peacock that stands guard over the ordering area.

Ordering Area

Check out the giant butterflies on the posts!

Menus and Peacock Mural

Please don’t become so engrossed in those menus that you forget to look up and take it all in!

Eats

We’ve been here a time or two for a quick bite to eat, and like I said, it’s never really been impressive. But today, I was anxious to see what was new and worth trying.

We’ve told you previously about the Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Salad, another new menu item that’s been added since we were last here. It’s received rave reviews from readers!

But today, we were only after snacks, and opted instead for the traditional side Caesar Salad. This isn’t to be confused with the larger Chicken Caesar Salad, which is a full-sized entree. We had the smaller version that is served as a side to the various individually-sized pizzas on the menu.

It was a good option if you’re a fan of traditional Caesar. You can at least tick off a vegetable serving if you get this.

Caesar Salad

But the other item that we were interested in trying were the Bread Sticks. The basket of four fluffy sticks came topped with a sprinkle of toasted cheese, and a side of Marinara for dipping.

Breadsticks and Marinara

This is pretty much what you’ll get at Pinocchio Village Haus in Magic Kingdom as well. They were fine, and reminded me of the bread sticks from the local Italian chain restaurant, although they weren’t glistening with garlic butter.

These would be good as a shared snack for the family, or a light meal if you’re waiting on a big Dining Reservation later.

Overall

Once more, I’ve ventured to Pizzafari, and once more, I leave with the impression that the real draw of this counter service spot is the restaurant itself, rather than the food. It’s frankly baffling to me why there would be such incredible attention to the detail on the walls, and yet the food strikes me as an afterthought.

Still, it is the only counter service spot that serves a full breakfast. And if you are a die hard pizza fan, or you have a picky child (or grown up) to feed who insists on pizza, then you are likely to be happy with the food choices here. I’d say go without high food expectation and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere and detail. And by all means, explore those themed rooms and see what you make of them. From that perspective, I would expect you not to be disappointed.

I’ve never been in here, but I’m certainly going in on my next trip into AK. I love art, and the murals and 3D creatures here look marvelous. I really enjoyed looking at your photos, AJ, and looking for the animals in the camouflaged murals was really fun. This place is worth a visit even if I only get a cold drink. Thanks!

We eat lighter meals here often as my wife’s tastes do not care for any of the other CS places at the AK. To me the pizza is worthless but the Italian sandwich is ok when washed down with a icy cold Safari Amber beer. I think this restaurant needs to join the WDW parade of constantly improving menus and more modern food choices. The food being served now is sort of 1960’s pizza parlor fare.

While nothing stellar, one thing to note is that if you are vegan or do not eat dairy for some reason, they make a pizza with cheese that you can eat! I know AK has their new dietary kiosk, but it’s nice being able to walk in there and get pizza like everyone else

We went in for a late breakfast on our AK day a couple weeks ago and enjoyed our food. it wasn’t the best meal we’d had while at Disney, but it was still good. I did really like the cinnamon roll though. I’ll definitely pop back in for one next year when I’m back.